Method of separating certain components from pine oil



Patented Aug. 12 1930 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE:

mm W. numrrmEY, E WHAR'ION, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 nEEcuLEs POWDER COMPANY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE I MEr roD oEsEEARA'rINe CERTAIN COMPONENTS FROM PINE OIL 1T0 Drawing. Application filed July 26,

|5 dration combined with'fractionation and refri eration. V A

. me 011, as is known, contains as components small proportions of terpenes and large amounts of certain oxygenated. compounds including alpha-terpineol, anethol, fenchyl alcohol, methyl chavicol, borneol, ketones and small amounts of other substances. Of the components of high grade-steam distilled pine oil, the terpineols amount usually to from %-70%, the exact percentage depending partly upon the amount of vhydrocarbons present in the pine oil. The hydrocarbons boil about within the range 155- 187 C. and comprise chiefly pinene, di entene and'terpinolene. 'They represent rom about 5%-20% of the pine oil and arereadily separated in the low end by fractionating the ine oil.

I the hydrocarbons areseparatedfrom pine oil by 'fractionating, a residue is left which has a boiling range of about 195'-235 (land comprises alpha-terpineol B. P. 218 C., a small proportion of other tertiary a1co-' hols, fenchyl alcohol B. P. 202 (1, borneol B. P. 212 0., methyl :chavicol B; P. 216 C. anethol B. P. 233 C. and'ketones. ,Since the terpineols are in preponderating proportion in pine oil and the othercomponentsare each in relatively small proportion, it has heret0-,

fore been impractical to readily separate such other components from the terpineols in a high degree of purity, and hence from one another, by the fractionation of pine. oil, though such components are severally of substantial value. 7

, Terpineols may comprise two-thirds of the pine oil; the various other oxygenated compounds, boiling about within the range195- 233 0., individually represent only about 2 to 8% of the pine oil. Thus, it is evident that removal of the terpineols from the pine oil will greatly facilitate the isolation of each of the other oxygenated constituents. k

. Now, it is the ob'ect of my invention to provide almethod w ereby the fenchyl alco- 1928. Serial No. 295,616.

chemically dehydrate the pine oil by selectively attacking the terpineols, breaking them down into water and hydrocarbonshaving aboiling range of about 170 C.185 (l, the other oxygenated componentsbeing effected, if at all, by the hydriodic acid to only a small extent. When the terpineols have been broken down into hydrocarbons and water, their separation, along with the hydrocarbons originally contained in the pine oil, from the other oxygenated compo nents may be readily effected by fractionation of the pipe oil, either simultaneously with the breaking down of the terpineols or subsequently. Since alpha-terpineol, B. P.

217-18- C., has been converted into hydrocarbons, B. P. largely 174-178 (3., it is apparent that it may now be easily separated fromthe oxygenated components of the pine oil, all of which boil above about 195 C. The residue, which has a specific gravity of about 0.94 and boils largely between 190 C. 230 C., may then be readily fractionated, or fractionated and refrigerated, for the separate recovery of fenehyl alcohol, borneol, methyl chavicol, 'anethol and ketones.-

As an example of the carrying out of the method embodying my invention, say 500 0 parts of pine oil are heated at a temperature of say 190 (1-225 C. for aperiod of sa five hours with 2 parts of hydriodic acid, sp.

gr. 1.5 and which contains'approximately 50% of hydrogen iodide. The hydrocarbons, having a boiling range of about C.185 C. including those originally in the pine oil and those formed by the splitting off of water from the terpineols by the action of the hydrogen iodide, are then distilled off through a fractionating column. After distilling off the hydrocarbons there will remain avaluable residue amounting to about parts, having a specific gravity of about 0.94, with the approximate boilingrange: 5%- 193 0., 20%198 C., 50%208 C.,-70%

issnbjected toheating at too' high atempera ture, or -fBr' an excessive period,- orif verylarge proportions of hydriodic acid are used, small amounts of high boiling polymerized hydrocarbons will be formed, a

From the residue the high boiling polymerimd hydrocarbons, ifsuch are present, may becopanated as a; higher bOlliIlgs residue and a refined distillate obtained, whichu will have a specific gravity of about-0.93,.with the approximate! .boiling ranges. 5%193 6., 2Q%-1=95 (1,50%201 C.,7O%20.7 C., and 9092-9218 C, and from: which fenchyl alcohols, borneohmethyl chavicohanethol and ketmles may be readily recovered by fractionatiionsupplemented by'refrigeration.

PIGViOllBsbQ dehydration, he pineoil may, if desired,1.be extracted with an aqueous solutioni'of sodium bisulfite in order to remove traces-of vanillin and other aldhhydes, and thtnwashed with aqueous. sodium hydroxide, t-lins fireeingit from? small amounts ofliigh boiling phenols.

For-example, about 17 parts of crude bolrnooli-will separate on cooling the residue to 0 C, and may be=filteredout otthe residue. 'Hhei remaining components of the residue may be separated by; fractionation and re bfiration;

. earrying out the processin accordance withmy invention the pine oil to which hydriodicr acid haslbeen'added may be refinned. and the. hydrocarbons formed by dehydration ofrthe terpineols subsequently dis tilled ofi the residue being fractionated and refliigemted fdr-the separation of its various components.

In carrying out my process, ifdesired, the

pineioilmay be distilled and the vapors thereoi contacted with hydriodic acid, or the vapore oihydriodic 'acid may be passed into the piaeioilg either before oriduring the: heating of. the-pine oil, and thehyidrocarbons and the desired oxygenated substances fractionally condensed; the desired oxygenated components beingrsuhsequently separated by finetionation" and? refrigeration, oi-the: vapors may be all. condensed togethen with: snbse.

pentkremoval oi the hydrocarbons and frae tmnationiofi the-"residue for the desired-(mun pounds;

It will be understood that i do not intend that my invent-ion shall belimitedto the use 7 oh my particular amount of hysdriodie acid nontor the use 1 oil. any particular temperatummonperiods of hean'ngaassuch may be varied without departing from my invention. It will be noted that in accordance with my invention there is provided a relatively simple and inexpensive method by which the more valuable components of pine oil may be readily obtained therefrom .im a high state of lpurity.

have not claimed herein specifically the separation of borneol and anethol from pine oi since the methods of separating such from pine oil form thesubjects matter of applications filed by me. as divisions of this application, i. e. Serial No; 435,026, filed March 11 1930. and Serial No. 435,021,!i1ed March 11, 1930.

Havingznow fully describediny inwention, what I claimanddesimto protect by Letters Patent is: i i

1 1-'. The method of separating. certain oxy genatedcomponentsrfrom pine oil, which-in eludes subjecting pine oil to the actionof hydriodic acid and fractionating thepine oil tor the: separation oi the desired components.

2.. The method of separating certain oxygenated components from pine oil, which includes heating pine oil in-the presence of hydriodic acid and fractionating thetreated pineoil for the separation of the desired components. a r

3. The method of separating certain oxygmatedicomponents from pine oil, which includea heating pineoil in theipresence of hydriodic acid, distilling off hydrocarbons from the pine oil and fractionatingithe residue imtheiseparation of the desiredconrponents;

4a'1 he methodof-separating certain oxygenatedcom'ponents frompime oil,.whieh includes heating pine oil for a period of about two toi eight hours at a temperaturerof about 190C.-225 C; hydriodlie acid, separatinghydrocarbons from the: pineoil and fractionating the residue: for the separation of-tlie desired components.

5.1The method of separating certain oxygenwtied components from pine oil; which irichides distilling pine oil in the presence of hydriodieacid, separating hydrocarbons from thedistillaste' and fractionating the residue forthe separation. ofthe desired components.

6. 'Ilhe method of? separating certain oxygenated components from pine oil, whichineludes heating pineoilinthe presence of hydriodic acid, distilling'ofl" hydrocarbons from thepine oil, fractionating the residue to obtain fractions containing the desired components. and crystalli zing ,the desired" components from said fractions.

7 L The method of. separating certain onygenatedvcomponents from pine oil; which includes heatingpine oil in the presence of-hydriodic acid, distillingaofl'hydrocarbons from the pine oil fractionatingrthe residueto ob tain. functions containing the desired components whichlboil above about 195 G; and

with about 0.05%-1.0% oi crystallizing the; desired components 7 said fractions. i i 4 8. The methodof separating certain oxy-y genated components from pine oil,'which includes heating pine oil in gthepresence ofhydriodic acid, distilling ofl hydrocarbons from the pine oil, fractionating the residue to obtain fractions containing the desired components and refrigerating the several fractions to effect crystallization of the "des'ir'ed components therefrom.

9. The method of separatingcertainfoxygenated components' fro'm pine oil; which in-- eludes heatingpine oil in the'presence of hydriodic acid, distilling'ofl' the hydrocarbons which boil below 190 C. and fractionat-ing' and refrigerating theresidue for the-recovery of the desired components; I

10; The methodv ofseparating certain oxygenated components from pine oil, which includes heatingpine .oil inv thepresence of hydriodic acid, distilling oil hydrocarbons from the pine oil, fractionating the residue to 0b- 7 a tain fractionsrespectively containing fenchyl alcohol, borneol, methyl chavicol, andfanethol j and eflfecting the crystallization of fenchyl v alcohol, borneol, methyl chayicol'a'nd anetho] from the several fractions respectively.

11." The method of separating certain oxy 'genated components from pine oil, which includes heating pine oil injthe presence of hydriodic acid, distilling ofihydrocarbons from the pine oil, fractionating the residue to 0btain a cut containing ofenchyl alciohol and effecting the crystallization of fenchyl alcq-- holfromthecut. v p p p a 12. The method of separating certain oxygena'ted componentsfrom pineoil which includes heating pine" oil inthepresence of hydriodic acid, distilling off hydrocarbons from the pine oil, fractionating there'sidue to obtain cuts containingsecondary-alcohols and efiecting the crystallization ofg'secondary alcohol's from the cuts. f

In testimony of which invention, 11115 96 hereunto set my hand, at Kenvil,--N. ,on this 23d day of July, 1928. p V H IRVIN HUMPHREY. 

